Backblaze 1.0

A quick, easy and low-cost online backup service

By Chris Wiles | 02 Jun 11

Backblaze is an easy-to-use online backup service, offering unlimited backup space from as little as $3.96 a month.

You don't have to spend an age deciding what you'd like to back up, as the program will decide for you (all your data, essentially). And you don't have to schedule backups to run at a particular time, as Backblaze runs continuously in the background. First it backs up everything it's chosen, then it'll automatically detect and back up new or modified files as they appear.

While this makes for very simple operation, you can take more control over Backblaze's operations, if you prefer. You can specify which drives to back up; exclude particular folders and file types from the backup; encrypt your backups for extra security; specify when Backblaze can back up your files; and even configure a "throttle" setting which defines how great a share Backblaze can take of your internet bandwidth.

And if disaster strikes then you can restore any file or set of files directly from the Backblaze website. Or, in a real emergency, you can have files sent to you on DVD or a USB hard drive, though this will unsurprisingly require you to part with some cash (prices start from $99).

The regular service is reasonably priced, though. Normally you'll pay only $5 a month for unlimited online storage space, but buy a full year and you'll get a $10 discount, cutting the bill to $50.

Verdict

An easy-to-use online backup tool that also provides plenty of configurability if you need it